The Hunted
by Girl on Fire
Summary: Eccentric, fun-loving rock star Adam Rose is the alter ego of supernatural serial killer Leo Kruger, who turns Adam's fans into his victims. Leo's half-brother and a young woman with mysterious powers of her own team up to put an end to his killing spree-a decision that could make them his next targets.
1. Predators and Prey

DISCLAIMER: I own no one.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I haven't seen _NXT_ since the all-female version, but I did quite a bit of online research on Emma, Leo, and Paige before starting this story. I hope I've managed to portray their characters realistically...Feedback is very much appreciated!

* * *

The Beast—he referred to it as such because he could take on any animal form he desired—was especially impatient tonight.

Leo Kruger was finishing up his transformation into the rock star Adam Rose when he caught a glimpse of his alter ego. He was staring at the full-length mirror in his private dressing room, slicking the top layer of his long, dark brown curls into a ponytail—his signature hairstyle—and his eyes suddenly turned a brighter shade of blue. He could have written that off as his mind playing tricks on him, but he groaned when the change of eye color was followed by an ache that shot through his gums and crossed into his teeth.

"Not yet!" he snapped at his reflection. His warlock side was irritated by the bad timing and his lack of control, but the shape-shifter in him was in hunting mode and difficult to contain. He retrieved a lollipop—in reality, it was a home remedy he'd concocted and disguised in the form of candy—out of the plastic grocery bag within his duffel and popped it in his mouth. Magic immediately flowed from the cherry-flavored medicine, temporarily pacifying the Beast and restoring Leo's normal, "human" appearance.

"Soon...Very soon," he promised the Beast, which roared a protest inside his head. His mother had tried to warn him about this. She knew from personal experience that shape-shifting was addictive, and, the more one changed forms, the harder it was to keep the Beast from emerging whenever it damn well pleased...

Leo breathed through slightly parted lips, the lollipop firmly in place, as he slid a favorite black leather vest over his bare chest. Tension from sensory overload tightened every muscle in his body. The bluesy rock of the opening act, the thunderous excitement of the crowd, the deliciously scented combination of sweat and raging hormones...The only thing more triggering to the monster within was the unimaginable terror emanating from his victims just before he snuffed out their pathetic and fragile lives.

Sure, he could have used magic to create a bubble of protection around himself, blocking out everything save for his own thoughts and the Beast's blood lust, but the adrenaline rush he was experiencing right now helped him better embrace the character he was playing.

A knock at the door brought a merciful distraction.

"Mister Rose?" The person inquiring was male and sounded youthful—probably in his twenties, as opposed to Adam's approximate age of thirty-five. Leo was_ much _older than that, but his non-human genes ensured that he would continue aging slowly and live for at least a few hundred years.

"Yeah?" He automatically slipped into the false British accent that Adam Rose used. It was yet another trick he employed to hide his true identity: Leo was actually born and raised in South Africa.

"Sound check in five minutes!"

"It's party time!" Leo shouted back, still using Adam's voice. He grinned at his reflection, relieved to see normal human teeth and not the razor-sharp points of a predator, and stuffed a few more lollipops in his vest pockets. Better safe than sorry. The finishing touch consisted of a handful of chains draped around his neck, both for fashion and to serve as a mental reminder not to unleash the Beast too soon.

Over the next two hours, "Adam Rose" would be in complete control of the audience. He never failed to put them in a trance with his voice and lure them into a rabid frenzy with his dancing.

Afterward, he would select a few pretty faces to join him on his bus, the _Exotic Express_. Both Leo and the Beast would cause those unlucky ladies to scream—and die—in agony.

"Ta ta, Leo...Ta ta, Beast." He bid his true identities farewell in an eerie singsong voice. "See you in a few hours!"

* * *

"Don't be a lemon, Paige!" Paige Bevis' roommate, Emma Dashwood, called out. She was barely audible over the thumping music and screaming "Rosebuds," as Adam Rose called his adoring fans.

Paige groaned and rolled her heavily shadowed-and-lined brown eyes at the pun. She was addicted to the adrenaline rush of live music and never turned down the chance to go to a concert, but Adam Rose was even more obnoxious than his songs—songs that Emma was always playing at top volume. Paige had worn out a few ear buds trying to drown out his irritating voice with her iPod, and she only came tonight because Emma had purchased two tickets and her friend Bayley had come down with strep throat at the last minute...

The British goth wished she wasn't the designated driver tonight. Maybe this spectacle would be easier to endure if she had a bit of alcohol in her system...Paige just didn't get the appeal of watching a thirty-something man bounce around on stage with a lollipop in his mouth, surrounded by dancers in elaborate—and bizarre—costumes, singing about rosebuds and parties in an obviously fake English accent...

Then she turned to Emma, and she and couldn't help but smile at her friend's reaction. She was stomping her feet and swaying her arms back and forth, singing along to every word. Her face was radiant, and her straight blonde strands bounced with the movement.

Emma stopped singing and dancing when she noticed Paige watching her and grinned impishly at the latter. "Come on!" The older girl tugged at Paige's hand and began dragging her through the masses of "Rosebuds" before she could protest.

It took them the rest of the song—which had just started playing when they set out—to reach the stage. By then, Adam was singing the first verse of his first hit, "Don't Be a Lemon, Be a Rosebud." Emma stretched her fingers out and squealed when the singer rewarded her by squeezing her hand and offering up a grin of his own.

"_Adam Rose_ touched me! He actually _touched_ me!" Emma squealed, sounding more like a teenage fan girl than the twenty-five-year-old she was. Paige just laughed and tossed her head in response. Her gaze drifted back to Adam's band and his entourage, which included people dressed as a lemon drop, a cheeseburger, a bunny, Wonder Woman, and a nurse. The Brit's brows arched even higher when the man in the bunny suit hopped around the stage and reached into a basket every few seconds to scatter pink and red rose petals.

_Could this night get any weirder? _

To Paige's horror, she soon realized that Adam was staring at her. When they made eye contact, his grin became even wider. A chill crept up her spine despite the sweat that soaked through her purple T-shirt and plastered her waist-length raven hair against her skin. She feigned excitement so he wouldn't accuse her of being a "lemon" and pull her onstage to dance with his equally-insane friends.

She was relieved when he danced to the other end of the stage, exhaling shakily once there was some distance between them. The strange bloke had always creeped her out a bit, but she couldn't put her finger on why she was so unnerved at the prospect of being close to him.

_What does Emma _see _in him?_ she wondered, reflecting on her best friend's crush on the charismatic vocalist. _He's not even all that good looking!_

And speaking of Emma...Being touched by her idol had made the perpetually-cheerful Australian giddier than ever.

"I'm gonna try to get us backstage," she told Paige in between songs, her blue eyes twinkling. She grabbed the dark-haired girl's arm and squeezed a little too hard in excitement, leaving a red mark behind on Paige's porcelain skin. "Hey, maybe Adam will let us go on the _Exotic Express_! Wouldn't that be _fun_?"

"Yeah. Fun," Paige squeaked. She tried to smile, but she could feel her mouth twist into something of a grimace despite her best efforts. Fortunately, Emma's adoring gaze was glued to her crush again and she didn't notice Paige's sour expression. As the opening chords of Adam's newest single, "It's Party Time (All the Time)," filled the stuffy air, she worried that Emma just might get her wish. What rock star _wouldn't _want to hang out with a cute blonde and a mysterious goth?

Paige wanted no part of Adam Rose or his infamous parties, but, since she had driven Emma to the concert, she was responsible for getting both her friend and her own car home safely and in one piece. Being three inches taller and a good deal more serious than Emma had cast Paige into the role of protective older sister in their relationship, despite the fact that she was three-and-a-half years younger than the blonde. That's why she would wait around while Emma collected autographs from Adam and his band, snapped photos on her cellphone, and gushed about how amazing and talented Adam was.

An inexplicable rush of anxiety washed over the younger woman when the flamboyant singer trotted back towards the girls. Paige didn't trust Adam Rose as far as she could throw him, and, for Emma's sake, she vowed to keep a close eye on _both_ of them.

* * *

Many people had doubted Justin Gabriel's sanity over the years. After all, the man didn't have a single hobby that wasn't death-defying in some way: skydiving, bungee jumping, swimming with sharks, riding his motorcycle...But there was a difference between his interests and his identity, and, if those same people knew _what _he was, they would want to lock him in a padded cell and throw away the key for sure.

Justin usually didn't care what others thought about him and his lifestyle, but now he found himself wondering if maybe, just maybe, he really _was_ crazy. Why else would he be tracking down his deranged half-brother—a deranged half-brother who had dark magic on his side—with no plan other than to somehow stop him from killing again?

His green-flecked, hazel eyes watered and his grip on the steering wheel tightened involuntarily until he remembered his werewolf strength and eased up to avoid crushing the wheel beneath his fingers. It was impossible to think about Leo without remembering his father and Kelly—not to mention what that monster did to them—and the combination of grief and outrage squeezed his heart until he thought it would explode. His black T-shirt now felt too tight against his body, and he pulled the collar away from his throat with one hand, as if by doing so he would be able to breathe easier.

Even if Justin _could_ kill his brother—and that was a very big if-he didn't want to sink to Leo's level and break their mother's heart all over again. He knew she was still grieving both her second husband and the loss of Leo's innocence.

"These powers, they are too much for him," she had once tearfully confided to Justin after a particularly volatile outburst from the teenaged Leo. With a single wave of his hand, he had sent a number of cherished family heirlooms and framed photographs flying off the mantle—breaking most of them—and stormed out of the house. Justin couldn't help but agree with her.

Justin had lost track of his brother for years after Kelly's...death. Then, last winter, he had stumbled across an online article on the rock star "Adam Rose" and his debut album. In time, he discovered that something strange _always_ happened on the nights "Adam" performed. And, while he had no concrete evidence linking Leo to these sinister events—among other things, mutilated animals and young women developing amnesia—he knew in his heart and soul that the hybrid was to blame.

Besides, Leo was too clever and too skilled a warlock not to cover his tracks-

Shrill keening suddenly pierced the air and startled Justin into almost crashing his car against a tree. He swerved at the last possible second and pulled over on the side of the deserted road, heart pounding, then immediately slapped his hands over his ears.

The bloodcurdling wail went on and on and bounced around his skull. The windows rattled ominously, and it was a miracle that he wasn't covered in glass shards. He, too, cried out as his eardrums became dangerously swollen in response to the eerily high pitch.

Finally, mercifully, the shrieking woman went silent. Justin lowered his hands and wiped his palms on his jeans, then exhaled slowly as goosebumps rose on his arms. His messy brown hair was sticking to his forehead, more from anxiety than the heat of summer.

_What the hell was _that_? _he wondered. The voice had to belong to some kind of supernatural creature, because no human could possibly make such a sound...He wasn't even sure human beings could _hear_ a scream at that frequency.

The key chain trembled in his fingers as he restarted the engine. In spite of his reservations, Justin felt compelled to track down the source of the enigmatic noise. His reaction was equal parts curiosity and concern. A woman screaming hysterically on the same night "Adam Rose" put on a show in the area? That _couldn't _be a coincidence. And it sure wouldn't be the first time his brother had attacked another non-human, either...

Justin stepped on the gas and swung his vehicle around. A queasy feeling settled deep in the pit of his stomach. He was tormented by guilt because he had arrived too late to spare both his father and his girlfriend from Leo's wrath. Now, however, he might have a chance to keep this woman from meeting the same gruesome fate.

In the meantime, all he could do was hope and pray that was still a possibility.


	2. More Than Human

Thank you to NoleeMarieLaCroix for reviewing the first chapter! Also, thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, and followed this story so far. I hope you continue to read and enjoy it, and I hope you'll consider reviewing, too! :)

* * *

"Care for a drink?" Leo spoke around his second lollipop of the evening and directed his inquiry to the pair of lovely young ladies standing in front of him. He practically had to yell to be audible over the raucous groupies and the booming-and expensive-stereo system that played Adam Rose's debut album on an endless loop.

The blonde—Emma-cocked her head. "What kind of drink?"

He shrugged. "Well, I'm offering fruit punch, but I think your friend would prefer lemonade." Leo smirked at the other girl, who scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. She had been watching him like a hawk all night with dark, suspicious eyes. The young lady was obviously very intuitive, although he doubted that she thought of him as anything more than a sleazy rock star trying to charm the two into his bed.

Emma giggled and waved one hand dismissively. "Oh, don't mind Paige. She's always like that."

Paige looked insulted. "Not always."

"So, about that punch..."

"I'll take some."

_Of course you will. _Emma was just like the countless other naïve, starstruck young females he had coaxed into his bus over the past few months. Her reaction to seeing the monster behind the man would surely be equally predictable—and equally gratifying for him.

Leo turned to the black-haired girl. "Paige?"

She forced a smile. "No thank you." Leo knew she suspected him of drugging the punch or spiking it with alcohol, and, in today's world, who could blame her for being paranoid?

He shrugged again and clapped his hands twice, his sharp eyes scanning the costume-clad group for one disguised face in particular.

"Bunny!" he shouted. A moment later, the man in the white bunny suit excused himself from a lively game of _Hungry Hungry Hippos_ and bounced passed someone dressed as a penguin and a man wearing a straightjacket. "Hop to it and get us some refreshments!" The bunny nodded and disappeared into the crowd again.

Emma passed the time with mindless chatter and by using her phone to take a few selfies with "Adam." Not surprisingly, Paige remained silent and kept her gaze locked on Leo. He couldn't help but speculate over how she would respond to his touch. Would she scream and fight him every step of the way, or would she get turned on by his aggression—those goths sure were a kinky lot—and lose her inhibitions? It wouldn't be long before he found out...

His rabbit friend returned, carrying a silver tray filled with plastic cups in his paws. Leo took one and held it out to Paige, brows raised questioningly.

She frowned. "I told you-"

"Just in case you change your mind," he explained with a friendly smile, embracing the role of a gracious host. Paige sighed in resignation, and, just as Leo was about to pass the cup to her, the two accidentally brushed fingers. Leo's hand tingled with a shock-like sensation, and only his exceptional reflexes prevented him from spilling the bright red liquid on the floor of the _Exotic Express_. The girl had obviously felt something, too, because she immediately gasped and stumbled backwards. She stared at him as if he had just shifted right before her eyes.

S_he's not entirely human,_ Leo realized, shaken—and exhilarated. He now knew that he had sensed the _otherness_ humming beneath her skin, desperately trying to claw its way to the surface, in the form of something like an electrical shock. One of her parents or grandparents must be of a different species, but he couldn't identify which—and he assumed that Paige was also ignorant of her true heritage.

"What happened?" Emma's cute, youthful features were pinched in concern as she glanced between her friend and the singer. "Are you two all right?"

"Just a little static electricity. Nothing to worry about," Leo assured her, beaming. Emma all but swooned at his expression.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Paige added, glaring at him. She gingerly took the punch from Leo, careful to avoid further physical contact, and he grabbed two more servings—one for the blonde and one for him—off the tray before sending "Bunny" on his way.

Emma brightened, but her blue eyes still glittered with a hint of doubt. "Well...Cheers, then!" Paige reluctantly joined in on the toast, but she only _pretended_ to drink while the others followed through.

The Australian couldn't stay silent for long, though, and, while Leo appeared to be listening, part of him was busy reliving some of the happiest memories of his life.

Hunting had been his addiction since he first tried it at age sixteen. It was meant to be an outlet for his predatory instincts, and it worked—for awhile. Leo was one to bore easily, though, and it wasn't long before he progressed from birds and deer to big game. Once the novelty of hunting animals wore off—and after he'd been deported from South Africa for poaching—he switched to human targets.

In between, he had killed his stepfather in the midst of a heated argument. Tasting the werewolf's blood had given Leo a boost of additional power that was better than anything he had experienced before or since. It ignited a feverish desire within him to hunt supernatural creatures exclusively, but—save for ghosts—they were few and far between. A witch here, a were there...Then nothing but human victims for a long, long time.

"This punch is really, really good," Emma murmured as she gulped down the last of hers.

He winked at her. "Only the best for Adam Rose and his Rosebuds. I'll make a Rosebud out of you yet, Paige," he added slyly.

"Don't count on it," she muttered under her breath. Leo chuckled, having heard her loud and clear even if no one else had.

He felt a maniacal grin start to contort his lips and quickly downed some punch to force the creepy expression into hiding. Paige would be the first hybrid trophy in his collection, and the next best thing to a purely supernatural victim. Both ordinary male lust and the Beast's obsession to maim and kill stirred within him as he admired the unusual beauty from the corner of his eye.

_I just _love_ a challenge,_ he thought in glee, _and so does the Beast. _

* * *

Blood, sex, sweat, human, animal, death..._Leo_.

Justin's sensitive werewolf nose was overwhelmed,by information, but he continued staggering forward, even as nausea rolled over him and his eyes watered uncontrollably.

_It's too late,_ moaned a voice inside his head. _You can't save her...She's already dead..._

Then why did he feel compelled to find the victim? Did he _really_ need to see the bruised, bloody body, covered in bite marks and scratches, to confirm that his brother had taken another life? Hadn't he suffered enough after finding Dad and Kelly in similar states?

For reasons Justin couldn't explain, he continued to let his sense of smell—heightened by the impending full moon—guide him, and his nose soon led him to a ditch. His heart skipped a beat at the tragic sight of a slender woman lying face down in the dirt.

Her face was hidden behind a tangled mass of black hair, her pale skin was mottled and bloodstained in various places, and evidence of a brutal animal attack was evident on both her flesh and her clothing.

Justin crouched down next to the ditch with a defeated groan. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered, barely resisting his impulse to touch her in a comforting way. He glanced around, looking for her ghost, but there was no spirit to be found. Ghosts could make themselves visible or invisible as they pleased, and she probably hadn't learned how to make herself seen yet. "He'll pay for this. _I promise_," he added in a louder voice, just in case she was listening.

And she was—but not in the way he expected.

The dead woman moaned.

Justin jumped to his feet, bewildered, and listened for a heartbeat. Still nothing. She obviously wasn't a vampire—it took a vampire to make another of their kind. A zombie, perhaps? Justin shivered. Leo certainly possessed the skills, knowledge, and twisted personality required to turn a person into a mindless servant, but that theory left an awful lot of unanswered questions...

_Then what _is _she? And who? _

The woman tried to prop herself up on her forearms and collapsed back on the ground with a shriek. Justin instinctively reached out for her.

"Here. Let me-"

"Don't touch me or I'll scream!" she ordered in a distinctly British accent that came across as half frightened and half threatening. Had she mistaken his voice for Leo's? "I mean it!"

The werewolf cringed. He really didn't want to provoke her, especially since he assumed she was responsible for that inhuman racket earlier, but he couldn't just leave her there. She was obviously in a great deal of pain despite being dead—or _un_dead—and he feared Leo might have overheard her screaming and return to check up on her. Then Leo would pick up on _his_ scent, and...

"My name is Justin." He thought it best to give his name in case his familiar accent had freaked her out. "I won't hurt you. I just want to help you, okay?"

She managed to roll over onto her back, hissing through gritted teeth, and her tense features relaxed slightly when her wild brown eyes met his concerned hazel irises. Justin found himself staring into a youthful—and unmarred—face to avoid gawking at the horrific damage to her upper body and thighs, although he caught glimpses without even trying. The young woman probably wasn't even out of her early twenties yet-and, just as he had expected, she was indeed beautiful.

Some things didn't change—like Leo's choice of prey.

"Okay," she said weakly. Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks, leaving trails in her smeared eye makeup.

He leaned down, and, in one fluid moment, scooped the girl into his arms and lifted her out of the ditch. It was impossible to hold her without touching wounded flesh, though, and he murmured apologies when she cried out in agony. Some of the gouges reopened and created bloody paintings on his own skin.

Justin carried the limp young woman to his car, opened the door with one hand, and tried his best to avoid further jostling her gravely injured body as he placed her on the backseat. His jacket was lying on the floor, forgotten after an unexpected cold snap over the spring, and he retrieved it and spread it over the worst of the damage.

He got behind the wheel, his mind racing almost as fast as his pounding heart. He was at a loss as to do what to do with this girl. She could stay in his apartment for now, and he would treat her wounds with soap, water, and makeshift bandages...Until she learned her own unique supernatural strengths and weaknesses, however, she was almost as vulnerable as an ordinary human being.

The undead were only immortal until someone succeeded at killing them.

Leo was a hunter and a predator, and, if he knew that one of his victims had survived—in a manner of speaking—he wouldn't rest until he had finished off his prey for good. And, since he couldn't perform magic, there wasn't much Justin could do to defend _himself_, let alone anyone else...

The South African debated putting on the radio to distract her from her pain—and himself from his worries—then thought better of it. "Adam Rose's" songs were on heavy rotation these days, and, if she had indeed encountered her assailant through his rock star persona, hearing his music would only add to her trauma.

He shuddered to think what she might remember once the shock wore off.

While Justin drove, Paige provided the background noise in the form of alternating whimpers and sniffles. He wouldn't have blamed her if she had screamed her throat raw and sobbed the whole ride back to his place. The pain had to be a thousand times worse than anything he could imagine—even worse than his full moon transformations.

The heart-wrenching sounds made him see red. Every time he encountered one of Leo's victims up close—every time he witnessed the horrific damage his own flesh and blood had inflicted on an innocent—Justin was forced to reconsider his policy on murder.

"Emma!" the girl suddenly blurted out. "I have to find...Emma..."

Justin's stomach twisted into a knot. Another victim?

"Who's Emma?"

"My best friend." Her voice came out raspy, and Justin grabbed an unopened bottle of water from the passenger seat and passed it to her, embarrassed that he hadn't offered her a drink sooner. "Thanks." There was a long pause while she twisted the cap off and quenched her thirst, then replaced the cap. "We were at the Adam Rose concert, and then..." Another pause. "I-I don't remember."

_Poor Emma..._It would be a miracle if she, too, had survived, because Leo _never_ left his victims alive. So, assuming Emma was dead...Where was her ghost? Justin would have expected her to stay close to her friend, but perhaps she was haunting Leo, or visiting family...

A disturbing pattern began to emerge, and Justin was surprised that he hadn't noticed it sooner. Anyone with a connection to the paranormal could see ghosts, yet, even though years had passed since they died, Justin had never seen or heard from the spirits of his father and Kelly. And now Emma...Someone who had died suddenly and violently simply wouldn't move on without saying goodbye to their loved ones first...Would they?

"_Please_," she pleaded, her tone still scratchy. He overheard her sip some more water. "Help me..."

Justin sighed, torn with guilt. What could he possibly say that wouldn't result in losing her trust? He was still trying to figure out how to tell her that she had come back from the dead...It would be cruel to tell her that her best friend was dead when the only proof he had was his intuition. Well, that and his brother's long history of hunting and killing anything that moved..

He took a deep breath and instantly regretted inhaling a lungful of sour air. All those scents he had almost developed an immunity to came rushing back at once.

For reasons unknown, Justin recalled a surreal conversation from many years ago. His parents had set him down one Saturday afternoon and revealed his true identity, which resulted in him thinking they were either crazy or playing a joke on him. He turned thirteen three months later, and he was incredibly grateful for that information during the first full moon after his birthday.

_She deserves to know the truth, too. _While he was reluctant to cause her additional stress, learning about her death and the circumstances behind it just might trigger the young woman's memories and lead them to Emma—and maybe Leo, too. Perhaps even more important, it could offer clues to what she had become and what she was capable of. This stranger was quickly becoming a valuable ally, and Justin hoped she wouldn't dismiss him as a lunatic after he confessed everything.

"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name." He decided they might as well be on a first name basis. After all, he had rescued her from a second death at Leo's hands, and she likely held the key to the latter's destruction.

"Paige," she answered after a moment's hesitation. Justin smiled faintly, relieved that she had decided to open up to him.

"I meant what I said earlier, Paige. I want to help you—_and_ your friend. But first..." His legendary courage faltered, his mouth went dry, and he struggled to force the next words past his lips. "First, there's something I need to tell you—something important."


	3. Buried Memories

While I'm grateful for the people who have read, favorited, and followed this story, I would_ really_ like to get some more reviews...Please let me know what you think of my writing.

* * *

Paige licked her lips nervously. She felt ill from all the butterflies in her stomach, yet her heart, which should have been pounding like a drum, was strangely subdued. She thought she might die if she was subjected to yet another shock, but Justin clearly needed to get something off his chest—and he'd been so good to her that she was inclined to hear him out.

"I, um...I don't know how to break this to you, Paige, but you're..."

"I'm dying," she supplied when he trailed off in discomfort. She closed her weary brown eyes. "Yeah, I know." Her injuries were so horrific it was a wonder she was still alive, and she was grateful that Justin had covered the worst of them with his jacket so she wouldn't have to see the damage. He would never make it to the hospital in time to save her, even though he was pushing the speed limit. That's why she wanted him to look for Emma, just in case she, too, had been attacked by...whatever the hell had gotten to Paige. Some kind of animal? That would explain her most visible injuries, but she could also feel the pain and evidence left behind from a brutal sexual encounter...

The gouges that she had assumed were claw marks must be knife slashes. That was the only logical explanation. She had obviously been raped by some psycho who then cut her up and left her in that ditch to bleed to death. Paige tried not to dwell on the possibility that he had done the same to Emma.

"No." Justin sighed heavily. "You're not dying, love." For some inexplicable reason, being called "love" made Paige's skin crawl—especially in that familiar accent she couldn't quite place. "You're...You're already dead." He paused briefly before muttering, "_Un_dead, technically."

"_What_?" Her eyelids flew open in astonishment, and his explanation provided a merciful distraction from the shooting pains wracking her entire body. She couldn't decide whether to burst into laughter or throw the water bottle at the back of his head . Was he trying to lighten the mood or something?

"Check your pulse if you don't believe me."

She did. She checked both the inside of her wrist and her throat, gasping when she pressed down on what felt like a bite mark on the latter. In desperation, she placed a hand over her heart.

Nothing happened. Paige waited a few seconds to be sure, then yelped in alarm when it became apparent that her heart simply refused to beat.

_Holy shit! I really _am_ dead...Undead. Whatever. _That meant she definitely wasn't human—at least, not anymore.

_So, what _am_ I?_

"I-I don't understand..." She took another swig of water to soothe her burning throat, and her hand trembled so badly that she almost lost her grip as she raised the bottle to her lips. "How...What happened?"

"I don't know, exactly. There must be someone in your family who isn't—or wasn't—human, and you inherited their...gifts after you, um, died."

"Oh." Her true ancestry was obviously a well-guarded family secret. "But...If I'm not human, what am I? And what are _you_?" Justin seemed to be an expert on the paranormal—and something told her he didn't get all, or even most, of his knowledge from books and the Internet.

"I'm a werewolf. As for you...Well, you're not a vampire or a zombie, and you're definitely not a ghost. I guess that makes you a mystery."

_At least I won't have to worry about drinking blood or craving human flesh..._ Paige fought the sudden—and, under the circumstances, entirely rational—urge to dissolve into giggles. The undead, werewolves...It sounded like they were discussing movies instead of their respective species. She abruptly sobered up when Justin's first sentence finally sank in, and it hit her like a punch to the gut. The dark-haired girl began to shiver violently.

Justin was a _werewolf_—someone who could go from being a man to a beast. A werewolf could easily force himself on a woman in his human form and then claw and chew her to shreds afterward. A buried memory surfaced unexpectedly, revealing a large black canine standing over her, saliva dripping from the animal's bared teeth.

No. _No_. Not Justin! He wasn't at all evil...And, if he _really_ wanted her dead, wouldn't he have tried to finish her off by now? Besides, surely he wasn't the only werewolf in the area! There had to be others...

"Paige? Are you okay?"

"Just in shock, I guess," she mumbled around her chattering teeth. From her position in the backseat, she had a clear view of Justin's side profile, and her paranoia faded as she studied him. Justin had never given her a reason to question his motives, and she had felt completely safe in his presence until he revealed that he was a werewolf. He deserved the benefit of the doubt.

He bobbed his head. "That's understandable."

"_Now_ can we turn around and look for Emma?" Panic swept over Paige like a gust of frigid wind. Assuming Emma hadn't perished from a vicious attack by the same half-animal, half-human creature, she would be in desperate need of medical attention. "Maybe it's not too late! Maybe we can still save her-

"_After _I take care of you," Justin said sternly, but his voice was strained with conflicting emotions. "You're in no condition to walk, and I refuse to leave you alone with your killer still on the loose."

"You think Emma is dead, don't you?" Paige said quietly. Hot tears began to pour down her cheeks. Although part of her refused to believe that someone as young and full of life as Emma could be gone forever, another part of her feared that it was too late to rescue the blonde. After all, the only reason Paige had come back from the grave was her unusual—and, according to Justin, incredibly rare—DNA. Her tears came faster, and she swiped at them with a bloodied hand.

For a long time, she heard nothing but the sound of the engine. "I think your friend was probably attacked by the same _monster _that went after you—and it would be a miracle if she survived," Justin finally admitted, confirming Paige's worst fears.

_Yeah, well, I'm proof that miracles can and do happen,_ she thought in response, even though it was probably asking too much to expect a miracle for Emma, too. She sighed. Foolish though it might be, she found it difficult to abandon the slim hope that Emma had survived somehow—even if the odds were definitely _not_ in her favor. If she could have, Paige would have jumped from the moving vehicle and searched for her friend all by herself.

There was no point in arguing with Justin, though, because he was the driver, as well as the only individual in the car with two functioning legs.

Paige took some comfort in knowing that Bayley had been spared the same grisly fate that she had met. Bayley—who was, if possible, even sweeter and more innocent than Emma—had no idea that missing the Adam Rose concert was the best thing that could have ever happened to her.

"I'm sorry, Paige. Believe me, I know how you feel. I felt the same way after..." Justin inhaled sharply, and, when he spoke again, his voice sounded a little too bright in contrast to his grief-stricken tone from a moment ago. "You know, I have a potion at home that might help you. It's meant for werewolves, but it's worth a try, right?"

"Right." Paige frowned thoughtfully at the back of Justin's head. He had tried to empathize with her by implying that he'd lost a loved one in a tragic way, but he clearly wasn't ready to burden her by elaborating on the reasons behind his grief. Not tonight, anyway. She attempted to stifle a yawn and failed. "Wait...A_ potion_?"

"Witches are real, too." Justin sounded as if he were smiling. "Try to get some rest. We've got a long drive ahead of us."

_Rest_? Paige wanted to laugh at his suggestion. How could she possibly sleep when her nerve endings were on fire, her best friend was missing, and she had just learned that she was neither alive nor dead? But, despite her firm belief that she would never be able to rest again, Paige's body was already surrendering to both massive blood loss and exhaustion. She soon drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

"This is the potion I was telling you about." Justin set a half-full glass jar of yellowish-green liquid and a spoon—stainless steel, to avoid the toxic side effects of silver—on the bathroom counter. Paige, who still looked drained despite a nap in the backseat, studied the murky fluid warily from her perch on the closed toilet lid. Her wrinkled nose brought a small smile to Justin's face. "Just put a couple of spoonfuls into the bath. It kind of stings at first, but you'll get used to it." _I hope._ He had no idea how the potent herbal ingredients would affect a non-werewolf.

Paige chewed on her lip, and her teeth just missed connecting with the silver-toned stud piercing the skin below the right side of her bottom lip. "Are you sure you have enough?"

"I'm sure. The...witch who created it gave me the recipe so I could make it myself." He was careful to avoid calling Leo a warlock, because then he would have to define the term—and he didn't want Paige assuming that he was on friendly terms with anyone who practiced dark magic. "I'll come get you in half an hour, okay?"

She nodded and offered up a weak smile of gratitude. "Thanks, Justin. This is really kind of you." Her tone came across as stiff, though, and he knew she was still sore at him for not making the search for Emma his number one priority.

He smiled back at her, turned around, and closed the door behind him. As he started down the hall, he heard the lock click into place and the lid pop open on the jar, followed by three tiny splashes and the immediate bubbling of water.

Justin retreated to the sofa with a heavy heart. He flipped on the television to distract himself from his nagging conscience, but that plan failed when the screen revealed a replay of the ten o'clock news. The werewolf cringed and channel surfed until he landed on a mindless sitcom. He didn't know if Paige's senses were heightened like his, but he wasn't taking any chances. The _last _thing she needed right now was to overhear a news report on a murder or a missing person...

He scrubbed his hands over his eyes at the first sign of tears, mentally cursing both his brother and himself. Retrieving the potion from his cabinet above the sink never failed to remind him of the Leo who was his best friend and protector.

Many years had passed since he had last seen _that_ version of Leo...

"_I can't believe you didn't tell me," Justin grumbled from his seat at the kitchen table. Leo, meanwhile, scraped his shoulder-length curls into a ponytail before he began paging through the thick, yellowed book that had been passed down through his father's side of the family. _

_The older of the two brothers was busy dividing his attention between his spell book, the ingredients for the healing potion, and the boiling pot on the stove. Nonetheless, he somehow managed to listen to and even answer Justin's question._

"_Tell you what? That you and your dad are werewolves? That Mum and I can shape-shift? That I'm part witch?"_

"_All of the above." Justin swallowed another mouthful of black coffee, grimaced at the taste, then dropped his chin into his hands to ease the pressure in his throbbing head. Was this what a hangover felt like? If so, then he was never, _ever_ going to get drunk... _

_Leo watched him, an apologetic look on his rugged face. "Sorry. I _wanted_ to, I really did, but Mum and Paul made me promise to keep it a secret."_

"_Will it ever get easier? Turning, I mean." From the moment he reverted back to his human form, Justin felt like he had been run over by a bus. Needless to say, he was _not _looking forward to the next full moon..._

"_I don't know..." Leo's brows furrowed in concentration as he dropped a pinch of some kind of herb into the pot. "You should probably ask your dad." _

_He would. "Does it hurt when_ you _change?" _

_Leo shrugged again. "Not really, but shifting is different from being a were, you know." His gaze filled with sympathy as he glanced at Justin, who found himself envying his half-brother's unusual abilities. How he wished he could perform magic and become something other than a wolf! _

"_Cheer up, Justin...At least you're not a mere mortal," Leo teased, snapping him out of his funk, and Justin couldn't help but laugh. Agonizing pain aside, he had to admit that being able to turn into a wolf _was_ pretty cool..."The potion's almost ready. Add some of this to your bath after every full moon and you'll feel better in no time." His blue eyes glittered dangerously as he added, "You know, Justin...You _are _half shape-shifter."_

"_So?" _

"_So, maybe you don't have to wait for the next full moon to become a wolf again." _

"_Really?" Justin asked, and his hazel eyes widened at the possibility. _

"_Yeah. I'll show you how," Leo assured him with a grin. "There's no reason you can't let your wolf out to play every now and then..."_

But shape-shifting was addictive, and, unlike Leo, Justin was never entirely comfortable with the changes in his personality caused by voluntary transformation. He'd only shifted a handful of times, but, every time he brought out his inner wolf, the desire to remain in his wild form became stronger. Being "human" again had left him with an anxious, jittery feeling that lasted for several days after each shift.

Justin scratched at his bearded chin as he contemplated this. He suspected that Leo's violent attacks on innocents were the result of losing control of his animal side. Even magic had its limits, and there might not be a potion or spell in existence that could keep Leo from permanently becoming an animal should he transform once too often.

For all Justin knew, that might have already happened. It wouldn't exactly come as a surprise.

He had filled the bathtub to save Paige the trouble, but he could hear the shower head running again. She was probably washing the blood out of her hair. He sure hoped so, because he could use the extra time to decide exactly how much to tell her-and what to talk about.

As the only known survivor among Leo's countless victims—and the only non-vampire, non-zombie undead individual Justin had ever met—Paige was in a unique position to help the latter man stop the former's sadistic attacks. But, if she got the impression that he was manipulating her or putting her in danger, the fragile trust she had in him would be shattered forever. Justin wanted to protect the young woman, but he also wanted to prevent other unnecessary deaths, and he began to fear that it was impossible to do both.

Paige was obviously a strong young woman, but she had already endured multiple traumatic experiences in one night, and it was just a matter of time before she started having flashbacks and connecting the dots.

Until then, however, Justin decided the poor girl was entitled to whatever peace she could find. What _couldn't_ wait much longer was determining Paige's supernatural identity and how she could use her powers—whatever they might be—against Leo. Sure, she might be blessed with eternal life, and Justin still had several hundred years left in his natural lifespan, but none of that mattered if Leo succeeded at killing them...


	4. Trophies

Thank you to Smart Mark and the anonymous reviewer for your enthusiasm and kind words about the last chapter. I would love to get some reviews on this chapter, too. :)

* * *

Cleaning up crime scenes was a breeze when you were part warlock.

Leo filled his palm with cinnamon-scented, dark brown powder from a bottle, said an incantation in his native tongue of Afrikaans, and blew the miniscule particles off his hand. He repeated the process again and watched in satisfaction as the powder drifted around the _Exotic Express _and settled into the bloodstains.

He'd already fixed his hair, sprayed every bit of his bloodied flesh with a mixture of powder and water, and changed back into his clothes. In a minute or two, all evidence of tonight's sinful activities would vanish completely along with the powder...Well, except for the bodies, of course, but the authorities would take one look at the autopsy results and conclude that the girls were fatally mauled by a dog—if not more than one. A pack, even.

It might be "party time, all the time" for Adam Rose, but Leo, despite having sex with two beautiful young ladies, letting the Beast out to play, and collecting some trophies from his victims, wasn't in a celebratory mood tonight.

He took a seat, slipped his hand into the bag by his feet, and reached for another lollipop. The need for preventative medicine had passed, but it was important to stay in character, and Adam was rarely seen without one of the stupid things in his mouth.

As he grabbed the lollipop, he bumped against the bundle of clothing concealing two mason jars. Restless energy emanated from one of the jars, and he smirked at the thought of the trapped spirit trying in vain to free herself from her glass prison. He could hear little pinging noises as the silvery-white, smoky substance swirled around the jar in confusion.

What was left of Emma would go on the shelves in his bedroom where he kept all his non-animal trophies. She would have a place of honor between the remnants of another dumb blonde and the jar containing a lock of Paige's hair.

Leo twirled the lollipop thoughtfully between his thumb and index finger. Paige remained an enigma even after death.

_Leo was rapidly running out of ideas._

_The shape-shifting warlock remained crouched beside his latest victim, an open mason jar in one hand and the lid in the other. At his side was a second jar, the one he had used to trap Emma's spirit. He recited yet another spell, waited a few minutes, and growled in frustration when the spell failed to coerce Paige's soul out of hiding. __The fucking ghost was determined to stay put, apparently. Leo debated setting fire to the body in hopes of frightening her spirit into leaving, but what if the ghost was unable to escape and burned up along with the flesh? It was a risk he wasn't willing to take. _

_He pursed his lips, thinking hard. He'd seen many bodies, both human and paranormal, but never before had he come across one that refused to surrender its essence on command. Perhaps Paige's mixed heritage was to blame...If he could just figure out what was lurking in those genes of hers..._

_Time was of the essence, and he finally concluded that there was no point in brooding over a nearly perfect murder when he could still walk away with a trophy. Leo reached down and ripped a clump of jet black hair from Paige's head, then tossed it into the open jar. _

_It was better than nothing, he supposed. But it wasn't _nearly_ as good as a soul. _

His extensive souvenir collection included a mere half dozen souls of supernatural origin. Every single one of them was tintedan exquisite blend of delicate silver and white and vivid purple. The soul of a human-supernatural entity hybrid was an even rarer treasure, and one he might never stumble upon again in his long lifetime.

He zipped up the bag, placed a sealing spell over it so no one could peek inside-and nothing could escape if the jars broke-and walked through the curtain dividing the bus in two.

Adam Rose was back.

Almost immediately, he had gorgeous women fawning over him and a cast of colorful characters squealing over his return. Beneath the happy-go-lucky facade was a predator going mad with obsessive desire.

It didn't matter whether a year passed or a hundred years, nor would he be deterred if Paige's body had been taken back to England to be buried or cremated. Sooner or later, Leo would figure out the exact combination of knowledge and power required to summon the girl's soul and add it to his collection of trophies.

His ear-to-ear grin had nothing to do with the lovely blonde standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. The ultimate hunting trip was only just beginning.

* * *

Justin knocked softly on the bathroom door. "Paige? Time's up."

"Five more minutes?" she pleaded, and he couldn't help but smile at her response. He knew just how soothing a potion-infused bath was on an aching body.

"Take as long you need," he called back before going into his bedroom. Once there, he put fresh sheets on the bed and stuffed his pillow into a clean pillowcase. He had a feeling Paige might argue with him, but he simply refused to let her sleep on the sofa...At least, he _assumed_ that she needed sleep. Maybe she had only passed out in the car because her body was trying to heal from the catastrophic injuries Leo had inflicted on her. Either way, it was important for her to get more rest, and he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.

He sat on the bed while he waited for her to finish up. It was impossible _not _to wonder what the future held for Paige. She needed—and deserved—as much of a normal, human existence as possible, but it was equally important that she keep a low profile and develop her paranormal talents. Justin shuddered to think what might happen to her if either the human or supernatural world discovered just how extraordinary she was.

Five minutes turned into fifteen before he heard the tub start to drain and the rustling of fabric.

The door finally swung open, and Paige emerged wearing the navy tee, black shorts, and belt that Justin had loaned her. Her hair was wrapped in a towel. The combination of men's clothing and a makeup-free face gave her the appearance of a nervous teenage girl. Justin was relieved to discover that the potion had caused Paige's wounds to close without staining her fair skin. He jumped to his feet and went out into the hall to offer some assistance.

"Feeling better?"

She nodded. "_Much_ better." Her voice had lost that raspy edge from earlier.

He smiled. "I'm glad. So...Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?" She'd polished off sixteen ounces of bottled water without incident, which made him wonder if eating was possible—if not necessarily essential—for her.

Paige shook her head. "I just want to lie down for awhile." She took a couple steps on wobbly legs, braced herself against the door frame, then sighed in resignation. "Well, I suppose you _could _help me walk."

"Of course. You can use my bed-I just made it up for you."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Oh, you don't have to-"

"I insist. You're my guest, after all."

The look in Paige's eyes told him she wanted to debate the arrangement, but she was obviously too tired to do so. She removed the towel from her hair and glanced at Justin uncertainly before dropping the towel onto the bathroom floor. He put an arm around her shoulder and his new friend leaned against him as they headed for the bedroom.

"I can't thank you enough for everything you've done," she murmured drowsily after he had gotten her situated.

"Don't mention it. I'm just happy I can do _something_ for you." Yet nothing he did would ever be good enough. He couldn't undo the emotional damage his brother had inflicted, nor could he bring Emma back from the dead or allow Paige to return to her old life...

"I still can't remember much of what happened," she muttered, playing with a tendril of the damp black hair that had fanned out around her on the pillow. Her brown eyes glistened with misery as she stared past him at nothing in particular. "Just bits and pieces." Justin wanted her to share what she _did r_emember with him, but he wisely bit his tongue instead. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing..."

"It's a temporary thing. You'll remember when you're ready." If she was anything like him, her dreams would be filled with the shadows her waking mind kept at bay. "Let me know if you need anything else. No need to shout: I can hear a whisper just fine."

"All right." The tiny smile on her youthful face was one of genuine gratitude, which, in turn, made Justin feel a little better.

* * *

_The world was spinning._

_Paige groaned and clutched her pounding head as she made an unsuccessful attempt to sit up. Her vision was somewhat obscured by a gray veil, and her muscles ached as if she'd just been on the receiving end of a beating._

_Rock music with absurd lyrics was being piped in from...somewhere. "Lemons are not allowed on the _Exotic Express_," crooned a nasal male voice over the cacophony of instruments. "Only Rosebuds and happy little lemon drops and bunnies who like to hop..." She could also hear people singing along to the lyrics, as well as shouting to each other and laughing over the blaring music. _

_The veil in front of her eyes began to lift, and Paige realized that someone else was lying on the floor, too—someone with golden blonde hair and a striped tank top._

"_Emma?" she whispered as she began to drag herself over the other young woman. A wretched coppery smell filled the air, triggering Paige's gag reflex and causing her heart to thump wildly. _

"_So nice of you to join us, Paige," a male voice sneered in a heavy accent. A frightened Paige glanced over her shoulder—and shrieked. Standing a few feet away from her was a vaguely familiar man wearing nothing but black pants and a whole lot of blood. His upper body, from his maniacal face to his bare torso and lower arms, was coated in the red substance. His hair was disheveled, too, and there were scratches on his cheeks and along his jaw._

_Paige knew she should have screamed or tried to make a run for it, but her desire to check on Emma overcame those natural instincts. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and gave her the renewed strength she needed to crawl the remaining several feet over to Emma._

_Darker splotches in various sizes discolored areas of the purple carpet beneath them. Paige accidentally put her palm in one of them and fresh blood oozed between her fingers._

_Bile rose in Paige's throat when she finally got close enough to assess the damage. One look into her friend's glassy, terror-stricken blue eyes confirmed her worst fears, but, as Paige was still in shock, the grim reality was only beginning to sink in._

_Emma's body was in an equally disgusting condition, although she also had suffered deep, claw-like gouges and bite marks that appeared to be animal in origin. Her shirt and shorts had been reduced to little more than shreds, and parts of her fair hair had been dyed bright red with her own blood. Her nails were broken, and the pink polish that remained was badly chipped. _

"_No..._No, _damn it!" Paige's voice became louder and took on a shrill resonance in her panic. She grabbed Emma's still-warm arm and shook it repeatedly. Then she pressed her ear against the blonde's chest, close to her heart, and listened for even the faintest sign of life, only to be greeted by absolute silence. "Oh, my God. Emma..." She choked back a sob and backed away. _

_A shadow fell over the two girls, blotting out some of Emma's features, and Paige remembered too late that they weren't alone. She wiped her wet cheeks and, as she locked eyes with her friend's murderer, her memory finally kicked in. _

"_Adam Rose?" She'd always known he was crackers, but never in a million years could she have dreamed he was a coldblooded killer. _

_He chuckled and tossed his head. "Not anymore, love."_

_Paige screamed as Adam grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her away from her fallen friend. He threw her down on her back, causing her head to bounce painfully against the floor, and there was a brief struggle between the two that Paige ended up losing. The rock star was deceptively strong for a man of average height and weight. _

"_You're the one I _really _want," he murmured, his hot breath floating past her ear as he pinned her arms above her head. "Not Emma. She was just another stupid groupie-"_

"_No, she wasn't! She's my best friend!" cried the still-wriggling Paige._

_Adam continued his speech as if he hadn't even heard her outburst. "But you...You're special. Magical, even." He caressed the side of her face with his bloodied fingers, and Paige, who couldn't slap the taste out of his mouth in her immobilized state, settled for spitting at him—a decision that earned a sinister laugh. _

Paige woke up then, drenched in a cold sweat and chilled further by the air conditioning. She curled up in the fetal position and clenched the pillow in anguish. Then she remembered that she was in Justin's bed, not her own, and she lay perfectly still and cried silently so as not to draw his attention. She wasn't ready to talk about her gruesome memories—not even to someone as sensitive and understanding as Justin. Remembering was awful enough.

One powerful, negative emotion after another slammed into her like a hail of bullets, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will herself back to sleep. There were more forgotten memories, but she wasn't interested in digging them up.

Emma was dead, Paige had been raped, murdered, and returned from the grave, and Adam Rose was responsible for their suffering. That was all she needed to know.

She rolled over and snuggled into the sheet and blanket, which she had kicked off in her sleep. Eventually, exhaustion overcame the horrors keeping her awake and she tumbled back into another dream.

"_Quite the screamer, aren't you?" Adam mused rather breathlessly as Paige turned away. Looking at his flushed cheeks and the ecstatic grin on his face made her nauseated. He made it sound as if she'd been screaming in pleasure as opposed to distress! "I like that in a woman." He slithered off of his victim and added rather smugly, "Your friend didn't put up much of a fight until the very end-"_

"_Don't talk about her," Paige mumbled, trying to shield as much of her exposed body from his view as possible. Her eyes welled up at Adam's suggestion that he had raped Emma, too. God, she hoped she was misinterpreting his words...As if being murdered wasn't terrible enough!_

"_Get dressed," he barked suddenly, tossing her balled up clothes at her. _

_The startled young woman was relieved to get her clothing back and slipped into her underwear and bra first, then her T-shirt and shorts. But she dressed with a heavy heart, knowing that Adam had no intention of letting her go. She could expose him for what he really was, and that limited his options to either killing her or holding her hostage._

"_Look at me, sweetheart." When she didn't, he grabbed her roughly by the chin and turned her face in his direction. "I said, _look at me_!" _

_She did. She stared into the eyes of a madman—into the last face she would ever see. Paige most likely couldn't stop him from killing her, but that didn't mean was about to make things easy for him. _

"_Everything you know is about to change..." He grinned in a way that implied he was enjoying a private joke and put some distance between them, then got down on his hands and knees. "Ta ta, Paige!" _

_It all happened so fast that Paige could barely comprehend what she was witnessing...Adam closed his eyes, still grinning, and his teeth became sharp and menacing. His entire body quivered with violent tremors. Muscles stretched and contracted, black fur sprouted on his flesh, and his nose and mouth elongated to form a muzzle. Then he opened his eyes again, and they went from blue to midnight blue to brown in a matter of seconds._

_Paige, meanwhile, was frozen in shock. She sat perfectly still as she watched him, equally mesmerized and horrified by the bizarre scene unfolding in front of her. The only thing she could move was her vocal cords, and she expressed herself by screaming like a lunatic..._

This time, Paige's screams followed her out of her flashback-turned-nightmare and into the waking world.

The traumatized young woman's eyes popped opened and she sat up in bed, wailing at the top of her lungs. The room was soon flooded with brilliant light...Someone tried to console her, and she shoved him away in a blind panic, convinced that Adam had come back for her. Then Justin's face appeared in front of hers and he took hold of her shoulders. His mouth was moving, but Paige couldn't hear a word he said, nor could she read his lips. He appeared to be in great discomfort, though. Seeing a trustworthy face had a calming effect on her, and she finally snapped her jaw shut and stopped flailing around.

"He killed her," she blurted out. "Adam Rose. He killed Emma..." Paige slumped against Justin, and he hesitated only briefly before wrapping his arms around her. It was a comforting gesture, but it couldn't stop her from trembling uncontrollably. She had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could speak again. "And then he...he raped and murdered me." That was probably the strangest thing Paige had ever said or heard, next to Justin's admission that she had turned into some kind of undead entity." It was dreadful..."

"I'm so sorry, Paige," he murmured.

She sniffled and looked up at him. "He's not human, Justin. I mean, he_ was_ human when he...when he attacked me, but then he turned into either a dog or a wolf...I'm not really sure. Do you think he's a werewolf?"

"No," Justin said tersely. Perhaps he was offended over being lumped into the same category as a murderer, although surely he knew that wasn't her intention! "He's not a werewolf. Werewolves can only turn on a full moon. What he did is called shape-shifting."

"Shape-shifting?"

"Most shape-shifters can turn into a single type of animal whenever they want, but a true shifter can become any species at any time." He must have seen her rubbing her throat, which had been irritated by another round of shrieking, because he suddenly excused himself to get her a glass of water.

Justin passed by the dresser on his way out, and Paige noticed that the espresso-colored furniture held a trio of four-by-six photographs in gold frames. Intrigued, and in need of a distraction, the girl scooted to the edge of the bed in order to get a better look at Justin's loved ones.

The first picture on the left featured a smiling Barbie-like blonde cuddling an orange-and-white kitten. A girlfriend? Sister, maybe? The middle photograph was of a happy middle-aged couple—blonde woman, dark-haired man—seated in what appeared to be a restaurant. Paige assumed they were Justin's parents. But the last one...She gasped and removed it from the dresser, unable to believe her eyes.

It was a closeup of two teenage boys, roughly the same height, hanging out on a beach. The one with dirty blond hair wore a white T-shirt, and he was instantly recognizable by his hazel eyes, tanned skin, and warm smile. The boy next to Justin—dressed in a black tank top —was equally familiar. His skin was paler, his eyes a piercing blue, and he had dark, shoulder-length curls and a grin that had literally haunted Paige in her nightmares.

Justin stopped in the doorway, and his bronze skin took on an ashen hue as his gaze landed on the item Paige clutched between her hands. He placed the water glass on the dresser without looking at either, causing a bit of the beverage to slosh over the sides and onto the wood.

"Paige, I-"

"How do you know Adam Rose?" she demanded. She was angry, frightened, and bewildered by Justin's secret—not to mention _very_ interested in hearing his explanation.


	5. Family Trees

Thank you to "Me," Smart Mark, Dark Angel's Wing, and "me" for reviewing the last chapter-and a special thank you to dashinginconverse for reviewing all of the previous chapters! Please keep reading and reviewing! :)

* * *

Justin suddenly had a good idea of how his parents must have felt just before the "wolf speech."

He had known this conversation was inevitable from the moment Paige awakened in the ditch, but he hadn't exactly taken the time to prepare a speech. The damning evidence had been in the same place for so long that he had walked past it without a second thought, and it amazed him that a simple photograph held the power to undo all the good he'd done.

Paige's dark irises flashed with anger as she awaited his answer. She looked ready to bolt or put up a fight at any second, though, and he couldn't blame her. Keeping secrets wasn't much different from lying, and he feared that nothing he said or did now could restore her faith in him.

"His real name is Leo Kruger," Justin said quietly, eyes downcast, "and he's my half-brother."

"Your brother." Paige's tone was flat, but he could feel the tension radiating from her body. He forced himself to look her in the eye again, and his pained expression begged for understanding.

"_Half_-brother." The distinction might not matter to humans in general, but, in Justin's family, it made Leo the most powerful and untouchable of all. "From our mother's first marriage," he continued when Paige failed to interrupt. "Leo's father is a warlock—a witch who practices dark magic—and our mum is one of those true shape-shifters I was telling you about."

Paige's face was solemn, her harsh gaze unflinching, as she took in the twisted family history lesson. "You said you were a werewolf," she reminded him after a long pause.

He shrugged. "I'm part werewolf. My father was full-blooded, and I inherited the ability to shape-shift into a wolf from Mum. I just choose not to shift." _Because I don't want to snap from abusing my powers like Leo did... _

"Okay..." She blinked a few times, then turned her attention back to the framed photograph clenched between her fingers. "Are you and Ad—uh, _Leo_ still...close?"

Justin's heart sank at the sound of her trembling voice. Did she think of _him _as a monster now? He wished she'd display some kind of visible emotion, because it was impossible to decipher what was going on behind that poker face.

He shook his head almost violently. "No." That one word caused Paige to visibly relax. "We haven't spoken in years. Not since..." He squeezed his eyes shut and released a shaky breath before opening them again. "Not since he killed my father and my girlfriend."

"_What_?" Paige squealed. And, just like that, the atmosphere in the room changed dramatically. Her own eyes were shiny with sympathy—no, _empathy_—and she patted the bed, inviting him to sit down beside her, which he did. "Oh, Justin...I'm so sorry. I had no idea..."

"I've spent years trying to stop Leo from killing again—and I haven't been very successful," Justin confessed ruefully. "He's always a step ahead of me, and he has powers I'll never have." He sighed. "You're the only surviving victim that I know of."

Her eyes widened. "I am?" He nodded, and she blew out a breath through pursed lips that ended in a low whistle. "So, um, how did you find me, anyway? It _can't_ be a coincidence that you showed up right after your brother..." She wrapped her arms around her lithe frame and looked away. "Well, you know."

"It _wasn't _a coincidence. I was tracking Leo when I heard a woman scream. I thought she was one of his victims, so I went looking for her, and, well, my senses guided me straight to you."

Paige was nodding at something he had said, a curious gleam in her eyes. "Funny...I heard the same thing. The scream, I mean. So did Adam—uh, Leo—and Emma." She shuddered, and her hands briefly drifted over her ears as she recalled the shrill noise. "It was the most dreadful racket, and it went on and on..."

Justin blinked. "Wait. Emma heard her, too?" So much for his theory about Paige being the source of the bone-chilling wail...He was puzzled because he had thought humans were incapable of hearing such high frequencies.

She nodded again and combed her fingers through her hair. "Yeah. Leo seemed surprised by that."

"So am I." He could only speculate that Emma heard the shrieking woman because she was close to drawing her last breath, and therefore more attuned to the supernatural world than ever before. "Whoever made that sound wasn't human, Paige. I thought it was _you_, but..."

"No, it wasn't." Paige leaned over slightly to pick at her chipped black and red nail polish, and her long hair covered her face like a curtain, shielding her expression from the werewolf. "I screamed a _lot_ last night—not just once—and I was still on the bus when I...died," she elaborated quietly.

Justin hands had become clenched fists without him realizing it. Reflecting on what Leo had put Paige and Emma through made him remember Kelly, who had been tortured and murdered using the exact same methods. He wasn't sure whether Leo had tested his signature style on her first or if he had already perfected it back home on other young women.

_Her blood is on _your _hands, Justin, _hissed a voice inside his head. _If you had just told Kelly the truth, Leo wouldn't have lost his temper and killed her-_

"Justin? Are you okay?"

He glanced down and saw Paige's hand resting on his forearm. She was studying him, head tilted, with a mixture of concern and anxiety.

"Yeah." _No. Hell no. _He ducked his head in shame, eager to change the subject. Now was _not_ the time to live in the past."I know I should have told you about Leo sooner, and I'm sorry I didn't. It's just that you were already overwhelmed, and I didn't want to traumatize you further...I was also afraid you'd never trust me again after finding out my connection to _him_. I hope you can forgive me, but I'll understand if-"

"I forgive you." He hadn't realized he was holding his breath until Paige said those magical words, and he exhaled in relief. "But I want you to be honest with me from now on—about _everything_." She narrowed her eyes at him and added with a touch of defensiveness, "I can handle it. I'm not some fragile little girl, you know."

Justin nodded. "I can tell." She didn't need to remind him of her inner strength. Paige had listened to one shocking revelation after another without freaking out or accusing him of being insane—something most people wouldn't be able to do. "No more secrets. I promise," he assured her, then sealed the deal with a handshake.

Paige ran her fingers over the glass covering the picture of the two brothers. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but...After everything Leo's done, why do you keep a picture of him around?"

He hesitated. "Because I'm grieving _him_, too—the boy who used to be my best friend. The same boy who invented the potion that healed you." He appreciated the irony behind the latter statement, and, judging by Paige's expression, she did, too.

"So...What made Leo turn bad?"

Justin almost smiled at the description Paige used. "Bad" was an understatement, to put it mildly.

"A combination of things, I guess," he answered with a shrug. He had often wondered the same thing over the years. How he wished he could go back in time and keep Leo from changing for the worst! "Too much power, his father's influence, excessive shape-shifting, an obsession with hunting..."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, each lost in his or her own thoughts. Then, out of the blue, Paige rattled Justin by asking if he'd ever seen a ghost.

The South African groaned inwardly. He had made his promise to her only minutes ago, and she was already testing him to see if he could, and would, live up to his word!

"Sure. Plenty of times." _But not my father's ghost, or Kelly's...or Emma's. _"Anyone with a connection to the supernatural can see and hear ghosts," he said pointedly.

Paige's crestfallen face broke his heart. "Oh. I haven't seen Emma's ghost at all," she murmured, sounding on the verge of tears.

"Maybe she's checking on her family or haunting Leo," Justin said too quickly. A third, sickening option occurred to him: Leo might have found a magical way to continue his victims' suffering even after death. But it was just a theory, and he didn't want to upset Paige with an idea he couldn't prove.

She nodded and wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah. Maybe."

* * *

Because dawn was breaking and neither of them could fall asleep—Paige was determined to put off her next subconscious flashback as long as possible—Justin chose to go ahead and prepare breakfast early.

Paige demurred somewhat guiltily since her appetite hadn't yet returned. Maybe it never would.

Fortunately, Justin wasn't offended in the least. "Let me know if you change your mind...or want more water." His dark eyes twinkled with humor. "I'm starting to think you might be a mermaid."

"A mermaid." Paige knew he was just teasing her, but, after everything she'd learned since last night, she wouldn't be surprised if she actually _was_ a mermaid.

He shrugged. "Well, you didn't want to leave the bath, and all you ever seem to drink is water..."

She made a face. "Very funny." Well, it was better than some of the alternatives—like a vampire with an insatiable thirst for blood, or a zombie who survived on flesh and brains...

Justin grinned before abruptly turning serious again. "Do you want to join me in the kitchen, or would you prefer to stay in bed awhile longer?"

"Kitchen, definitely." Paige shoved the covers off in a hurry and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The _last_ thing she wanted right now was to risk giving in to fatigue and get sucked into another nightmare.

"Can you walk?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll find out." Paige was relieved to discover that her legs were up to the task, although her gait was slower than normal and she was still experiencing some pain and stiffness. She followed Justin, who was only a few steps ahead of her, down the softly lit hallway and into a small, clean kitchen.

He surprised her by pulling out a chair for her and gestured for her to sit down.

"Th-Thank you," she stuttered after she was seated. Chivalry was not something Paige was accustomed to. She was just one of the guys to her male family members and friends, and she had a long history of dating bad boys—like her current boyfriend, Seth.

"You're welcome." The werewolf aimed a dazzling smile at her over his shoulder, then headed to the counter, where he grabbed two slices of what appeared to be wheat bread from a plastic bag and popped them in the unplugged toaster.

It was hard to believe that someone as kind and thoughtful as Justin shared half his DNA with a murderous monster.

_Leo must get his evil ways from his father, _Paige concluded, ashamed to realize that she had taken her own family for granted. She was blessed with parents who were still happily married over two decades later and a pair of older brothers who were her friends and protectors. Justin, on the other hand, had lost his father and was estranged from his psychotic brother, the man responsible for his father's death.

She hoped Justin would be okay with her ringing them up to inform them she was safe—and perhaps ask inquire about their background while she had them on the line.

In the meantime, she marveled at his efficiency in the kitchen. He started heating the bread when his homemade omelet was almost done, and he finished by tossing orange juice and a handful of frozen strawberries and banana chunks in the blender. Everything came together around the same time.

Two trips later, Justin's breakfast was on the table and he was sitting down to eat. A pensive feeling swept over the young woman as she watched Justin take a bite of toast. Her usual breakfast routines alternated between cereal and milk over conversation with Emma and coffee and relaxing in bed with Seth. But Emma was dead now and her ghost was nowhere to be found. As for Seth...Well, he had been so distant and moody lately that there wasn't much of a relationship left to salvage.

The silence that followed was equal parts awkward and companionable. They might have formed something of a bond, but they were still strangers, after all. To help pass the time, Paige glanced around the kitchen at various items. She didn't want to stare and make Justin uncomfortable, although she couldn't help but sneak an admiring glance at his pretty boy face now and then.

About halfway through his meal, Justin put his fork down and cleared his throat.

"Paige..." he began, his tone tentative, and she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Yes?"

"I hate to burden you with yet another problem, but..." Justin looked like he'd rather swallow broken glass than finish his sentence, and that made Paige's stomach do flips. "Well, it's just a matter of time before Leo finds out where you are, and-"

"That's impossible." Paige shook her head wildly. She talked too fast in an attempt to push aside the icy jolt of fear that shot through her body at his words. "He thinks I'm dead, and, besides, he has no way of knowing where I am now-"

"He can cast a spell or scry for your location," Justin informed her with grim certainty, "and he _will_ after some time passes and your body isn't found." He sighed. "You're a threat to him, Paige. You know what he is and what he's capable of, and that makes you dangerous."

"But I'm undead," Paige protested, beginning to tremble even as she mentally reassured herself that she was out of danger. "He can't kill me _again_...Can he?"

Justin bowed his head. "No one is truly undead," he said in a voice pitched slightly higher than a whisper. He raised his anguished face to meet her petrified gaze. "Vampires and zombies can be destroyed with the right methods, and I'm pretty sure you can, too—_if _Leo figures out what you are before we do."

Paige worried at her lip until she tasted blood. She hadn't considered the possibility of someone putting an end to her immortality, and, though she missed Emma terribly, she wasn't exactly eager to join her in the afterlife.

"But we still have time, right? I mean, 'Adam Rose' is on supposed to be on tour until early fall."

He shook his head. "We can't take that risk. I wouldn't put it past him to fake illness and cancel the tour."

This time, the silence between them was heavy with tension. Inspiration finally came to Paige as she mulled over Justin's comment about the possibility of Leo identifying her species.

"But if we find out what I am first..."

"You can better defend yourself by using your strengths against him." Guilt flashed across Justin's angelic features. "There's only so much I can do to protect you, so it's important you learn what your own powers are." He drummed his fingers against the table. "It might help if you told me what you know about your ancestry."

Paige blinked, taken aback by the random question. "My ancestry?"

He nodded. "I suspect you inherited your abilities from one of your close relatives, and studying the mythology of their homelands might give us a clue to your identity."

"Oh." It was a brilliant idea. "Um...Well, both my parents are British. My dad's side of the family is also French and Scottish. My mum's father was born in England, too, but her mother comes from Ireland." She smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid that's all I know." Genealogy had never been one of her interests, and it certainly wasn't a subject that either of her parents discussed regularly—possibly because they didn't want their children to discover the supernatural family secret.

Justin smiled. "That's good enough for now. We'll start researching England and the Celtic countries first, then move on to France if we don't find anything. I think we should test your senses, too, to see if they're heightened." He pursed his lips, and his eyes briefly went out of focus as he reflected on something. "I don't _think _they are, but...Anyway, if you're up to it, I'd like to get started after breakfast."

"Sure," Paige agreed, secretly pleased that he used the term "we" so much. It meant they were going to fight this war—to fight Leo—together.

While Justin took another sip of his smoothie and returned to an abandoned piece of toast, Paige tried her best not to dwell on the very real possibility that they might _die _together. She simply could _not _afford towallow in negativitywhen there was still a chance to avenge Emma's death, along with the deaths of Leo's other victims—including her own.

A lump formed in her throat. Emma would be so proud of her attempt to be optimistic.

Justin implied earlier that Leo had gotten away with a number of murders over the years, and Paige—despite being absolutely terrified of encountering that monster again—vowed to do everything in her power to make sure he finally paid for his crimes.

* * *

Leo's acting was so convincing that none of the regular Rosebuds—the ones who joined him on tour—would have ever believed their quirky leader was in a foul mood. He might be playing a role, but the costumed freaks he surrounded himself with truly lived by the "party time, all the time" motto, and he couldn't disappoint them.

On the inside, he was alternately sulking and getting pissed over last night's botched festivities. The boost of power he had received might keep the Beast at bay for a whole week—but losing Paige's soul dimmed a great deal of the pleasure he had derived from the hunt.

Leo scanned the bus as he made small talk with Rosebuds and members of his band, the Rose Garden. The Beast might be satisfied with killing alone, but Leo was vulnerable to the same lustful desires as any human male. Surely there was a pretty girl in the crowd who could distract him from his longing for Paige's soul—if only for a little while.

He had started to weave through the mass of humanity in search of a redhead in a sky blue bra top and matching skirt when a vision in black stopped him cold. Leo blinked and scrubbed a hand over his face, unable to believe his eyes..

_Paige? _

Ghosts always had a distinct transparent quality, like a watercolor painting in which the artist's paints had been diluted with excess water, but this woman appeared to be as solid as any human being. Since her back was to him and she was partially hidden by the Rosebuds surrounding her, he couldn't get a good look at her clothing from where he was standing. All he saw was straight black hair hanging to her waist and a glimpse of fair skin.

Leo began moving toward the woman again, driven by equal parts disbelief and curiosity. It _couldn't_ be her, because Paige was _dead_. He had listened to her heart as it slowed to a stop, heard her breathe her last, ragged breath, watched her dark eyes glaze over...

Suddenly, he recalled a long-forgotten conversation with his father about the possibility of zombies, in which the elder Kruger had made a cryptic remark: "Not everyone who dies _stays_ dead."

The possibility intrigued him. If Paige really _was_ undead, then she belonged to a species he was unfamiliar with, because she sure as hell wasn't a zombie or a vampire. And, if she had indeed sneaked onto the _Exotic Express_ with vengeance on her mind, well, she was in for a nasty shock.

_Let the games begin!_ He rubbed his hands together gleefully, mouth twisted into a grin. The hybrid's obsession with Paige had caused common sense to fade into the background, and now he became convinced that she was right here in the flesh.

He was _thrilled_ to have another opportunity to make her scream before she died...again. This time, for good.

Some of the Rosebuds had stepped aside as Leo came within several yards, and his target turned around unexpectedly. Disappointment swept over him when he was confronted with the sight of yet another Rosebud. She was older than Paige, perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties, and she lacked the girl's porcelain complexion, but he suspected that she, too, was a screamer.

She treated him to a sultry smirk as he came closer. "Hello, Adam," she purred in an accent that was likely Eastern European in origin, and he recalled that her name was Aksana and she had only recently joined his entourage.

"Hello, sweetheart." Leo kissed her on the cheek and felt heat flare up under the patch of skin where the kiss had landed. Aksana's black, dominatrix-style outfit caused his admiring gaze to wander, and, when he looked up again, she was studying him through blue eyes enhanced with false lashes and too much makeup.

She propped one hand on her hip and arched her thin, dark brows. "See something you like?"

He nodded and licked his lips. "Very much so."

Aksana giggled. Her own lips were tinted a scarlet shade, similar to the color of fresh blood, and she puckered them suggestively around a lollipop.

"Perhaps you would also like to...party with me? Alone?" She gave Leo a hopeful look as she lightly scratched a pattern on his bare chest with her claw-like red nails.

"Beautiful _and_ psychic." He winked at Aksana, then linked arms with her and escorted her to the back of the bus. "My kind of woman."

But Leo hadn't forgotten about Paige, even as he fantasized about the dirty things he intended to do to Aksana—nor had he forgotten his father's words.

_Not everyone who dies _stays_ dead. _

He finally understood why Paige's spirit couldn't be coaxed out of hiding: Her body still needed it because she was one of the rare few destined to avoid crossing over after death.

Unfortunately for Paige, Leo considered himself the rightful owner of the girl's soul, and he would stop at nothing to retrieve his stolen property.


	6. Dangerous Obsessions

Thank you to Dark Angel's Wing, JChaosTheory, Smart Mark, and dashinginconverse for reviewing the previous chapter! I appreciate it so much. And, of course, thank you to my other readers as well. Enjoy! :)

* * *

"Can you read the first paragraph on this page?" Justin tapped a page in the open book he held out from his position at the opposite end of the hallway.

Paige squinted and immediately shook her head. "No. All I see are little black dots." She sank down on the sofa, beginning to feel discouraged after failing every single one of Justin's "tests." Prior to the vision check, he'd analyzed her hearing and sense of smell by unleashing various sounds and scents around the flat and asking her to identify them. "Let me guess: I failed this one, too."

Justin frowned and closed the book. "You didn't 'fail' _any_ of my tests, Paige," he said sternly. "Your senses are just more human than supernatural. That's all." His gaze swept over her battle wounds, and his frown deepened. "You're not healing as fast as I would, either, even with the potion. You should rest for a day or two before we test your physical strength."

"Anything you say, Doctor," Paige teased, trying to lighten the mood, but Justin's cheeks turned beet red.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to treat you like a science experiment."

"Don't worry. I'm not offended," she reassured him with a tight smile. _I'm just disappointed that I don't have any useful powers._

He smiled. "Good. I'll join you in a minute, okay?" She nodded, and he immediately disappeared into his bedroom.

Unfortunately, being alone with her thoughts for even a short time caused her to mull over the tragic night before and the bewildering consequences of Leo's attack. In doing so, she finally shattered her calm exterior, and her hysterical laughter seemed to fill the entire room.

"Paige?" Justin rushed into the living room, a thick book under one arm, his laptop under the other, and alarm written all over his face. "Are you all right?"

"No," she answered shakily once the giggles had run their course. "No, I'm not all right." Words tumbled from her lips, forming the kind of rambling, run on sentence that Emma and Bayley were famous for. "Emma and I got _raped_ and _murdered_ by Adam Rose—Adam Rose!-and now I've turned into some kind of undead _thing_, and I can't even tell my family and friends about any of this, and your psychotic brother is probably going to kill both of us very, very soon..." She had started sobbing in the middle of her sentence, and now she couldn't stop blubbering. "I-I don't think I'll ever feel normal again."

Justin sat down next to her, placing the book and laptop on the coffee table, and he actually looked relieved by her outburst. "I don't know, Paige. I think it's perfectly normal to freak out once the shock wears off." He paused. "If it's any consolation, I just about lost my mind when I turned for the first time."

"How old were you?" Paige didn't know Justin's real age, but he appeared to be several years younger than his brother—and he had likely suffered through more full moons than he could possibly remember.

"Thirteen."

Paige stared at him in astonishment, her jaw dropped slightly. At least she had been blessed with almost twenty-two years of ignorance before her vicious initiation into the supernatural world. She couldn't imagine navigating the already turbulent teenage years with the burden Justin carried...Her respect for him increased tenfold.

"It's very painful, isn't it? Turning?" she asked without thinking, then chided herself for asking such a foolish question. It _must_ be: Why else would Justin have the recipe for a potion that both healed and relieved pain?

He grimaced. "Excruciating." Then he squeezed her hand, imbuing her with some of his courage. "Trust me, Paige: You _will _get through this—even if it doesn't seem like it right now...Can I get you something to dry your tears with?"

The young woman nodded, but disappointment settled over her after Justin withdrew his hand and left the room. Being alone so soon after her meltdown frightened her almost as much as sleeping, even though she felt calmer already. She had stared deep into those somber hazel-and-green eyes, knowing the depth of Justin's sorrows, and believed every word he said.

But she didn't believe she could "get through this" without his help.

He returned with a handful of toilet paper. Paige thanked him and began to blot her face. A beam of morning sunlight came through the slightly open blinds and landed safely on her arm, proving that she was no vampire.

"Maybe we should take a break from the supernatural," Justin said gently. "We could watch a movie, or-"

"No." Paige shook her head adamantly. She grabbed the book off the table—it was an A-to-Z encyclopedia of the paranormal—and opened it to the index, which Justin had marked with a clean sheet of printer paper and a pen. "We _need_ to find out what I am before _he_ does."

"Are you sure? Because I don't mind doing the research myself-"

"I _want_ to do this," she insisted, searching his face with beseeching eyes. "Please...I'm sick of feeling so bloody helpless, and I don't plan on going back to sleep any time soon, so..."

"So look for English, Celtic, or French species that are either undead or connected to death somehow," he finished with a faint smile.

* * *

Seth Rollins awoke with a blistering headache that grew worse by the second, thanks to his thrash metal ring tone. He cursed under his breath as he fumbled around the nightstand for the obnoxiously loud cell phone, then rubbed his tired brown eyes and stared at the device.

His heart began to race when he read his girlfriend's name and number on the screen. As if on cue, the _American_ raven-haired beauty beside him stirred and groaned.

If Paige came over now, he was a dead man.

"Sorry," he whispered to AJ before mumbling a greeting into the phone. "Hey, sweetheart-"

"Seth?" interrupted an unfamiliar female voice. "This is Bayley—Paige and Emma's roommate. Is Paige with you?"

"Uh, no...Why?" Seth grimaced as he massaged his forehead. "And why do you have her phone, anyway?"

"Well, they were running late for the Adam Rose concert, and I guess Paige forgot her phone...But they never came home, Seth!" Bayley's scratchy yet frantic tone made Seth cringe, and he remembered that Paige had only gone to the stupid concert in the first place because Bayley had gotten sick with...something. He forgot what. "I keep trying to call Emma, but she doesn't answer..." She sniffled. "What if...What if something happened to them?"

Seth remained in bed, but he was wide awake now, nauseated from both his migraine and the morbid thoughts flashing across his mind. "Calm down, okay? They're probably still out partying-"

"But it's seven-thirty in the morning!" Bayley argued in a fading voice.

_Shit._ Seth's stomach churned with anxiety. Paige was definitely a night person, but she never stayed up _that _late...He dragged his fingers through his half-black, half-blond hair, hitting numerous tangles along the way, while he tried to think of a reasonable explanation.

"I'm going to report them missing," Bayley declared, and her anxiety seemed to bleed through the phone and seep into Seth's muscles. "Promise you'll call me if you hear from Paige?"

"Yeah. I will."

"Thanks. I just hope they're okay...:"

Seth sighed heavily. "Me, too."

He shoved the phone back onto the nightstand and rolled over onto his back, which inspired AJ to immediately straddle him, a devilish gleam in her dark eyes. The sight of her naked, sculpted body and the feeling of her warm, olive-toned flesh against his took his breath away.

"Was that your sweet little crumpet?" she sneered, and Seth involuntarily smirked at AJ's nickname for the other woman. His expression immediately soured, though, when he remembered the reason behind Bayley's call.

"Nope." Seth shook his head, and the involuntary movement made him feel as if someone were jamming knives into his skull. If AJ had a hangover of her own, she sure didn't act the part..."That was one of her roommates. Apparently, Paige and her friend Emma are missing."

"_Missing_?" she echoed in a squeaky tone. "Well, that...sucks." Her surprise was genuine, but, on the inside, she was probably relieved that Paige was out of the picture for now. AJ made no effort to hide her dislike of Paige, and she had made it perfectly clear to Seth—on numerous occasions—that she wasn't happy about sharing him with the younger woman.

"Yeah, it does." Seth's eyes smarted. His relationship with Paige had been on the rocks for awhile, and he enjoyed the friends with benefits thing way too much to dump AJ—but part of him still cared about the British girl, and he was sickened by the idea of her meeting some horrible fate.

"Poor baby," AJ cooed. She caressed his bearded face, her long hair obscuring his view of her, and murmured in his ear, "I'll make you forget all about her."

"We can't," he moaned, his chest tightening in panic.

She pouted. "Because you have a hangover?"

"Because Bayley—Paige's friend—is gonna call the cops, and they _always_ suspect the boyfriend. If they find us together..." He gave her a light push as he worried about the possibility of losing his lucrative new job over this, but AJ simply refused to budge. Her expression bordered on amusement."You gotta get out of here, AJ. Like, _right now_."

"Why? They're gonna find out about us eventually, you know...Besides, I'm your alibi, remember? And you're _my_ alibi." She cocked her head to the right, then the left, and her youthful, innocent features turned malicious in a heartbeat. "You know what they say about a woman scorned, right?"

Seth shivered, intimidated by her threat despite her diminutive stature. He wouldn't put it past AJ to burn down his apartment building if he ever left her—or give the cops reasons to doubt his innocence merely out of spite. Being involved with someone so volatile was incredibly exciting, and, at times like these, disturbing as hell.

He began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, AJ had something to do with Paige's disappearance. But they'd spent the night together...He had fuzzy memories of dinner, drinks, sex, and passing out next to AJ, who or may not have crept out of bed later on to-

_No_. AJ wasn't—_couldn't be_—guilty of such evil, and the only thing Seth was guilty of was cheating on Paige. All he had to do was take a polygraph test and the cops would cross him off their list. As for his new job...Well, his boss didn't even care about Seth's anti-corporate hairstyle as long as he wore a suit and tie and followed orders, and, anyway, Hunter Hearst Helmsley struck him as the kind of guy who didn't give a fuck about morals or values.

"I'll leave _after_ we have sex—and maybe a cup of coffee. I swear," AJ promised, rubbing against him alluringly.

Seth couldn't resist an offer like that, although his weak will earned him a nagging from what was left of his conscience. He managed to shut up that whiny internal compass by insisting that it would be a hell of a lot easier to face this living nightmare without a hangover.

_Besides,_ he reasoned, _Paige is gonna be just fine._ She was the strongest, toughest woman he'd ever met, and Seth tried to convince himself that _anyone_ who messed with her would get their ass kicked...

* * *

The bathroom sink on a moving tour bus was _not_ the best place to practice scrying, but Leo didn't have much of a choice. He _had_ to find out where Paige was before the _Exotic Express_ rolled into another state, and, with only two shows left in California, he was rapidly running out of time.

On the bright side, the Rosebuds were usually too busy partying to notice his absence, and he had just transformed the burgundy curtain that divided the bus into a soundproof, impenetrable barrier. He always took the latter precaution whenever he intended to perform magic—or commit murder.

"Show me Paige—the black-haired girl whose soul I could not collect," Leo demanded of the water in a low growl. Then he waited, staring into the full basin long enough for a headache to begin wrapping around his skull—and was finally rewarded for his efforts in the form of an image slowly materializing on the surface of the water.


End file.
